2010 Top Ten Anti-Israel Lies

Here's what you need to know to defend Israel.

Lie #1: Israel was created by European guilt over the Nazi Holocaust. Why should Palestine pay the price?

Three thousand years before the Holocaust, before there was a Roman Empire, Israel's kings and prophets walked the streets of Jerusalem. The whole world knows that Isaiah did not speak his prophesies from Portugal, nor Jeremiah his lamentations from France. Revered by its people, Jerusalem is mentioned in the Hebrew Scriptures 600 times - but not once in the Koran. Throughout its 2,000-year exile there was continuous Jewish presence in the Holy Land, with the modern rebirth of Israel beginning in the 1800s. Reclamation of the largely vacant land by pioneering Zionists blossomed into a Jewish majority long before the onset of Nazism.

After the Holocaust, nearly 200,000 Shoah survivors found haven in the Jewish State, created by a two-thirds vote of the UN in 1947. Soon 800,000 Jews fleeing persecution in Arab countries arrived. In ensuing decades, Israel absorbed a million immigrants from the Soviet Union and thousands of Ethiopian Jews. Today, far from being a vestige of European guilt or colonialism, Israel is a diverse, cosmopolitan society, fulfilling the age-old dream of a people's journey and 'Return to Zion' -- their ancient homeland.

Lie #2: Had Israel withdrawn to its June 1967 borders, peace would have come long ago.

Since 1967, Israel has repeatedly conceded, "land for peace." Following Egyptian President Sadat's historic 1977 visit to Jerusalem and the Camp David Peace Accords, Israel withdrew from the vast Sinai Peninsula and has been at peace with Egypt ever since.

In 1995, Jordan signed a peace treaty with Israel but neither the Palestinians nor 21 other Arab states have done so. In 1993,Israel signed the Oslo Accords ceding administrative control of the West Bank to the Palestinian Authority (formerly the PLO). The PA never fulfilled its promise to end propaganda attacks and drop the Palestinian National Charter's call for Israel's destruction.

In 2000, Prime Minister Barak offered Yasser Arafat full sovereignty over 97% of the West Bank, a corridor to Gaza, and a capitol in the Arab section of Jerusalem. Arafat said NO. In 2008, PA President Abbas nixed virtually the same offer from Prime Minister Olmert. In 2005, Prime Minister Sharon unilaterally withdrew from Gaza. Taken over by terrorist Hamas, they turned dismantled Jewish communities into launching sites for suicide bombers and 8,000+ rockets into Israel proper. In 2010, Prime Minister Netanyahu renewed offers of unconditional negotiations leading to a Palestinian State, but Palestinians refused, demanding more unilateral Israeli concessions, including a total freeze of all Israeli construction in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.

Lie #3: Israel is the main stumbling block to achieving a Two-State solution.

The Palestinians themselves are the only stumbling block to achieving a Two-State solution. With whom should Israel negotiate? With President Abbas, who, for four years, has been barred by Hamas from visiting 1.5 million constituents in Gaza? With his Palestinian Authority, which continues to glorify terrorists and preaches hate in its educational system and the media? With Hamas, whose Iranian-backed leaders deny the Holocaust and use fanatical Jihadist rhetoric to call for Israel's destruction?

Today, it is a simple fact that while the State of Israel is prepared to recognize all Arab States, secular or Muslim, these states adamantly refuse to recognize Israel as a Jewish State and demand "the right of return" of five million so-called Palestinian "refugees" -- a sure guarantee for Israel's demise.

Lie #4: Nuclear Israel not Iran is the greatest threat to peace and stability.

Though never acknowledged by Jerusalem, it is generally assumed that Israel has nuclear weapons. But unlike Pakistan, India, and North Korea, Israel never conducted nuclear tests. In 1973, when its very survival was imperiled by the surprise Egyptian-Syrian Yom Kippur attack, many assumed Israel would use nuclear weapons -- but it did not. Contrary to public condemnations, many Arab leaders privately express relief that Israeli nuclear deterrence exists. While Israel has never threatened anyone, Tehran's mullahs daily threaten to "wipe Israel from the map." The U.S. and Europe can afford to wait to see what the Iranian regime does with its nuclear ambitions. But Israel cannot. She is on the front lines and remembers every day the price the Jewish people paid for not taking Hitler at his word. Israel is not prepared to sacrifice another six million Jews on the altar of the world's indifference.

Lie #5: Israel is an Apartheid State deserving of International Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaigns.

On both sides of the Atlantic, church groups, academics and unions are leading deceitful and often anti-Semitic boycott campaigns demonizing what they call the Jewish "apartheid" State.

The truth is that unlike apartheid South Africa, Israel is a democratic state. Its 20% Arab minority enjoys all the political, economic and religious rights and freedoms of citizenship, including electing members of their choice to the Knesset (Parliament). Israeli Arabs and Palestinians have standing before Israel's Supreme Court. In contrast, no Jew may own property in Jordan, no Christian or Jew can visit Islam's holiest sites in Saudi Arabia.

Lie #6: Plans to build 1,600 more homes in East Jerusalem prove Israel is ‘Judaizing’ the Holy City.

Enemies of Israel, exploit this phony issue. Jerusalem is holy to three great faiths. Its diverse population includes a Jewish majority with Muslim and Christian minorities. Since 1967, for the first time in history, there is full freedom of religion for all faiths in Jerusalem. Muslim and Christian religious bodies administer their own holy sites. Indeed, the Waqf is allowed to control Jerusalem's Temple Mount, even though it rests on Solomon's temple and is holy to BOTH Jews and Muslims.

Meanwhile, Jerusalem's municipality must meet the needs of a growing modern city. The unfortunately-timed announcement during U.S. Vice President Biden's visit of 1,600 new apartments in Ramat Shlomo, was not about Arab neighborhoods in East Jerusalem, but for a long established, heavily populated Jewish neighborhood in Northern Jerusalem, where 250,000 Jews live (about the same population as Newark, NJ.) -- an area that will never be relinquished by Israel.

Lie #7: Israel policies endanger U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The charge that Israel endangers U.S. troops in Iraq or the AF-Pak region is an update of the old "stab in the back" lie that Jews always betray their own friends, and the libel spouted by Henry Ford and the Protocols of the Elders of Zion that "Jews are the father of all wars."

U.S. General Petraeus has stated he considers Israel a great strategic asset for the U.S. and that his earlier remarks linking the safety of U.S. troops in the region to an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal (which 2/3 of Israelis want) were taken out of context. A resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict would benefit everyone, including the U.S. But an imposed return to what Abba Eban called "1967 Auschwitz borders" would endanger Israel's survival and ultimately be disastrous for American interests and credibility in the world.

Lie #8: Israeli policies are the cause of worldwide anti-Semitism.

From the Inquisition to the pogroms, to the 6,000,000 Jews murdered by the Nazis, history proves that Jew-hatred existed on a global scale before the creation of the State of lsrael. In 2010, it would still exist even if Israel had never been created. For example, one poll indicates 40% of Europeans blame the recent global economic crisis on "Jews having too much economic power," a canard that has nothing to do with Israel.

The unsettled Palestinian-Israeli dispute aggravates Muslim-Jewish tensions, but it is not the root cause. During World War II, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, a notorious Jew-hater, helped the Nazis organize the 13th SS Division, made up of Muslims. Unfortunately, in addition to respectful references to Jewish patriarchs and prophets, the Koran also contains virulent anti-Semitic stereotypes that are widely invoked by Islamist extremists, including Hezbollah (whose agents blew up the Jewish Community Center in Buenos Aires in 1994), to justify murdering Jews worldwide. The disappearance of Israel would only further embolden violent Jew-haters everywhere.

Lie #9: Israel, not Hamas, is responsible for the “humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza. Goldstone was right when he charged that Israel was guilty of war crimes against civilians.

The Goldstone Report on Israel's defensive war against Hamas-controlled Gaza, from which 8,000 rockets were fired after Israel's unilateral withdrawal in 2005, is a biased product of the UN's misnamed Human Rights Council. The UNHRC is obsessed with false anti-Israel resolutions. It refuses to address grievous human rights abuses in Iran, North Korea, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Cuba and beyond. Faced with similar attacks, every UN member-state including the U.S. and Canada would surely have acted more aggressively than the IDF did in Gaza.

Yet, Richard Goldstone, a South African Jewish jurist, signed a document prepared by investigators whose main qualification was rabid anti-Israel bias. He accepted every anonymous libel against the IDF. But he insisted that hearings in Gaza be televised, guaranteeing that fearful Palestinians would never testify about Hamas' use of civilians as human shields and their hiding of weapons in mosques and hospitals. Harvard Professor Alan Dershowitz denounced Goldstone's Report as a modern "blood libel" accusing Israeli soldiers of crimes they never committed.

Lie #10: The only hope for peace is a single, bi-national state, eliminating the Jewish State of Israel.

The One-State solution, promoted by academics, is a non-starter because it would eliminate the Jewish homeland. However, the current pressures on Israel are equally dangerous. In effect, the world is demanding that Israel, the size of New Jersey, shrink farther by accepting a Three-State solution: a PA state on the West Bank and a Hamas terrorist state controlling 1.5 million Palestinians in Gaza. All this, as Hezbollah, Iran's proxy in Lebanon, stockpiles 50,000 rockets, threatening northern and central Israel's main population centers.

In 2010, most Middle East experts believe that the only hope for enduring peace is two states with defined final borders. But too many diplomats, pundits, academics and church leaders ignore the fact that current polls show that while most Israelis favor a Two-State solution, most Palestinians continue to oppose it.

The opinions expressed in the comment section are the personal views of the commenters. Comments are moderated, so please keep it civil.

Visitor Comments: 38

(38)
Samir S. Halabi,
June 14, 2010 10:34 PM

Arabs will always stab you in the back.

You simply cannot make any real peace with the arabs, you offer them a finger and they will grab both your hands. They are still under the impression that one day the Jews will be gone and they will come in.
The only language they understand and respect just like the germans who most of them allied themselves to in world war two is force of arms. I recently visited an elderly uncle who has been living in Malmo since he and my family fled our arab homeland from persecution in 1950. Malmo today is full of jew-hating muslims, I however was accompanied by my bodyguard dog a massive Russian Black Terrier used by the russian army and military trained. This animal is highly intelligent and sums up situations very speedily. I was attacked by two muslims who never even saw the dog because he walks without a leash.
the dog brought those two attackers down onto to the ground and held them there till the police arrived. They the police saw that I was wearing my kippah so they realised what had taken place. I can assure you that if those two MAMZERIM would have put up any struggle with my protector they would have been ripped to pieces and i wouldn't have been on my conscience.
These muslims hate us so much because they have been brainwahed with hatred from the cradle to the grave, therefore it will take hundreds of years to erase that illness from them if at all.

(37)
Jerusalemheart,
May 21, 2010 6:22 AM

2 states solution is against the truth of Torah

2 states is not a solution. Can not you see even PA opposes it, for all the Muslims Arab want is to exterminate Jews out of this land. But to the very contrary, it is G_d, who won’t allow the Ishmaelites to dwell on the land where HE has given to Israel.
2 States is never a solution, it only legalizes Arabs living on the Promised Land that belongs to the descendants of Jacob. This fact Jews have to be very clear about it. In the eys of G-d, Palestine Muslim Arabs are illegal on the land of Israel, if all Jews hold this fact tight on, G-d will help Israel, for this land belongs to G-d of Israel and His people.
2 states is against the truth of Bible, how can Judaism accept this concept? I hope those who consider 2 states solution will soon go back to the truth of Bible.

(36)
Jerusalemheart,
May 21, 2010 6:21 AM

2 states is against the truth of Torah

2 states is not a solution. Can not you see even PA opposes it, for all the Muslims Arab want is to exterminate Jews out of this land. But to the very contrary, it is G_d, who won’t allow the Ishmaelites to dwell on the land where HE has given to Israel.
2 States is never a solution, it only legalizes Arabs living on the Promised Land that belongs to the descendants of Jacob. This fact Jews have to be very clear about it. In the eys of G-d, Palestine Muslim Arabs are illegal on the land of Israel, if all Jews hold this fact tight on, G-d will help Israel, for this land belongs to G-d of Israel and His people.
2 states is against the truth of Bible, how can Judaism accept this concept? I hope those who consider 2 states solution will soon go back to the truth of Bible.

(35)
Anonymous,
May 17, 2010 7:24 AM

This was really good! Thank you! I passed this info on to many people in the hopes they also will share it. Many people do not know the truth and it is time that they did!

(34)
Adolfo Membreno-Pereira,
May 16, 2010 3:07 PM

The answer is not in anyone's hand

It is impossible to erase hate and antisemitism. It doesn't matter how much we and the Jewish people try. Palestinians will allways have this feeling about the land, and peace seams so far away! - This top ten anti-Israel lies are well explained, and I acknoledge they are correct and may be use to unvail some people's thoughts about the state of Israel and it's people, that are doing the best to negociate peace without endangering the safety and future of this country and it's inhabitants. May the Lord bless Israel for ever.

(33)
Alexander Huzau,
May 14, 2010 11:07 AM

How to defend Israel?

Fortunately, G..d Himself defends Israel!
Ahmadinejad and other modern Amaleks don't know this fact (or they don' want to take notice about), despite the history's tale about the destiny of all Hammans and Hitlers.
To keep G..d's promise, Israel should keep His commandments, but having a hand on pistol.
And the Oslo Accords should be - at least - revised.

(32)
Anonymous,
May 14, 2010 7:22 AM

Lie #5 Church groups demonize Jews

You have many,many Christian friends in the USA who truly love Israel and the Jews.
But you don't know about us because we don't make headlines.
You only hear about those ,(who are truly ignorant in the scriptures)because they like to make the news.
Please don't put us all in the same category.
Thank you and Shalom

(31)
Anonymous,
May 14, 2010 1:19 AM

gaza is a really big problem

Telling people that Israel should be allowed to retaliate like many other countries retaliate - and not be judged harsher than other countries are judged - really doesn't work.
I know because I've tried.
Israel has to really get creative with this huge issue, because it's proving very isolating and challenges the credibility of a democratic state.
Yet I know that national security is a consideration in how Israel navigates this, of course.

(30)
Graham,
May 13, 2010 11:04 PM

ignorance=stupidity=ignorance

Shlomo I'm sorry to say that you're really showing your ignorance!!! Which "arabs" are you referring to?!
1. There are hundreds of thousands of Jewish arabs!
2. 25% of all Israeli Jews are recently (first or second generation) descended from Jews who immigrated from Arab countries, Iran, Turkey and Central Asia.
3. Many of the greatest texts of jewish history were written by Jewish arabs in Persia.
4. It is reckoned that approx 900,000 jews left arab lands in 1948.
5. There are non-Jewish arabs who serve in the Israeli army.
Please get your facts straight before you speak with a voice of enmity & distrust.
& shame on aish.com for not doing more to spread a non-sectarian viewpoint, & for not remembering that we are supposed to be God's holy people, by following God's Torah, & by being a "light unto the nations"...

(29)
Pierre,
May 13, 2010 8:15 PM

notes, citations of some kind!

Despite the fact that many of these facts are historical and known to all, history does not stand uninterpreted. There need to be sources presented for these statements or they remain only statements - not defenses! Was Arafat's rejection THAT simple?..."no?"...There are annotated essays, academic dissertations, book-length treatments by critics of Israel behind every one of these criticisms, here reduced to a few lines rebutted with a few lines. This makes for more ammunition in their info-war when Israel's defenders make what amount to mere statements.

(28)
Seymour Gottlieb,
May 13, 2010 5:36 PM

Perhaps they NEVER heard "NEVER AGAIN"

They shud OPEN their EARS..Hopefully PEACE will prevail..

(27)
behrouz kia,
May 13, 2010 3:09 PM

If Israel did not exıst, there would have been bloodshed ın every country ın Mıddle East

Mıddle East all through history have seen bloodshed of brother killıng brother. If they don,t have a common enemy, they begin killing each other like what they are doing in Iraq, Shiits killing Sunnıs, Arabs killing Kurds, Muslims killing Chrıstıans......and we see the same ın almost every Mıddle East country. In Iran, Chrıstıans, Kurds, Beluchs, Arabs, Bahaııs, Chrıstıans, and god know what else are beıng executed, killed....
Now all of them have found a common enemy. Actually, the real Palestıan land that they have rune away is not ın todays Israel, but in Jordan where thousand of Palestinıans were killed after their revolt.
Palestinıans can not put together one small country, Hammas has kıcked them out of Gazza, so how would Israel give them a land within her terrıtory, Hammas will take over in less than a week.
Israel is the land of Jewısh people, has been for 3000 years, and the story of Miraj of Mohammad from Temple Mount is just an story. Al Aqsa in Aeabıc means the furthest mosque. At that time the Al Aqsa mosque could have been eıther in Mecca or Madına, there was no other Muslim land and there was no mosque or Muslim in Jerusalem then. Thıs whole story is the dream of Salaheddin Ayyabi who wanted to capture Jerusalem and made up this story. Muslems don,t have a rıght to Jerusalem, there were no Mulems there before the Crusaders.
behrouz kia

(26)
Anonymous,
May 12, 2010 8:31 PM

The movie 2012 left out Mecca being destroyed. The producer knew it would not go well with them. Israel doesn't kill people that speak against them.

If the people in Iraq and their leaders were peaceful people wanting peace; all these countries wouldn't have sent soldiers there the last 20 years. Iraq goes through Palestine to attack Israel. It wasn't Israel that let off a bomb in time square. That man was connected to the taliban. It wasn't Israel that hired a man to try to blow up a plane on 12/25/09 in Detroit. The taliban did. It wasn't Israel that bomb Baghdad yesterday killing 114 people. It was their own people against each other. So who is creating war? Who really believes these lies in this article? Only the people that are telling them, and they know they are lies. This person I know who watches ALOT of movies said that I watched alot of movies. She asked what movie I watched that week, I told her and she said "that's an old one" she had seen it years ago. What's my point? Because she watches alot of movies, alot more than I do, she accuses me of what she does. That is what these 10 lies reminds me of.

(25)
Joe,
May 12, 2010 8:11 AM

America would not stand for it

There were missiles fired over the border against Israel for YEARS without a significant response. And once there was finally a response, there were advanced warnings given to the homes and buildings of combatants and those with weapon depots to get out. There were leaflets and announcements to "civilians" to clear future combat zones. America would stand for missiles falling on its sovereign territory and do that? Yes, the US would do much worse. Look at Iraq, Afghanistan, or Waco, Texas. Look at the very high number of civilian casualties and displaced persons in those areas.

(24)
shlomo ozinci,
May 12, 2010 7:30 AM

arabs wish the distruction of israel

no faith to any arab 40 years after pass away from this world. even they can harm israel from the cemetry literalli speaking.we must always protect ourselves frm them,and always think that they can attack us from our backs and remove us from this world like they are so eager to remove the stateof israel.
therefore let us not beleive the arabs and sit to negotiations even at most critical consequences.
may the state of israel live forever and may the right hand of god be with her all times amen selz

(23)
,
May 11, 2010 9:21 PM

Very important news.

(22)
Tzvi Nokam,
May 11, 2010 6:28 PM

Transfer is the answer

no arabs no problem
transfer is the answer

(21)
Anonymous,
May 11, 2010 3:31 PM

"surely would have"? gaza

the defense of israel in the "humanitarian catastrophe" in gaza is that the US and Canada "surely would have" done far worse? the person requesting footnotes is right - you need concrete facts to back up your claims, not just conjecture like this. maybe examine all the human rights reports, coverage, film footage, etc...then you can make a case against a report that purports to be thoroughly researched. anonymous libel? - show this. you're not making a strong case - you need to counter specific things they say with evidence, not just invoke the name of Alan Dershowitz.

(20)
helen porath,
May 11, 2010 1:46 PM

The 1967 borders

It is said that if only Israel would return to the borders of 1967, there would be peace.
Why, then, when we were within those borders in 1967, were we attacked by the Arabs?

(19)
Anonymous,
May 11, 2010 3:39 AM

Dead Wrong

response to #12 and the others in general. We have fallen in to the traps that our enemies have set for us. Is there a problem with Jews living in Jerusalem. How come when we are accused of building in Jerusalem we don't answer "Yeah, and proud of it." We instead try to cover it up and say that we build for all the different peoples in the city and then we make a construction freeze for the Jews. How come we're basing our right to the Land of Israel on the fact that Israel is a democratic state. The way it's described is like if Israel were in Uganda but was democratic then we would've have the right to be there. But that's not true if we had no right to the Land of Israel then no matter how democratic we are, we'd be occupying somebody else's land. Being democratic helps, but this shouldn't be our first argument in front of the world. The list goes on with almost every item listed in this article. There is only one argument that will work, and that is the Jew's right to the Land of Israel.

(18)
Louis,
May 10, 2010 11:53 PM

Never Again

Never Again, Nuff said...

(17)
Chaiah Schwab,
May 10, 2010 9:54 PM

Thank you for this succinct summary

Thank you for this succinct summary of the points to verbally defend Israel. I lived there 20 years, raised a family there, am a dual American-Israeli citizen, and want to be ready to defend Israel as needed. This helps.

(16)
Lloyd A Oestreicher,
May 10, 2010 4:29 PM

Bomb Hezbollah, I'm with Bibi

There will never be peace in the middle -east. The Palestineans will never be self-sufficient..

(15)
Donnie Perry,
May 10, 2010 12:17 PM

Never give up, Isreal forever.

Arabs have no rights to Jerusalem, never give up.
Many people in the world and the USA support you unconditionally.

(14)
Anonymous,
May 10, 2010 5:22 AM

War of Independence wasn't our choice

I rarely hear stated the fact that the Jordanians overan Jerusalem in 1948, slaughtering the Jewish inhabitants and destroying the Jewish sites. When we took it back in '67 it is seen as conquest, when it is really regaining our rightful home, one that had been desecrated.

(13)
Anonymous,
May 9, 2010 8:16 PM

From the Jordan to the Mediterranean Sea belongs to Israel in International Law

There is already a 5 state Solution, and the map is at the top of this article. All but forgotten is the San Remo Resolution April 25,1920, whereby the five nations were given the right to dispose of the lands of the former Ottoman Empire. Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq came into being as long as the Arabs agreed that the Jewish People had the right to reconstitute their ancient homeland. the Arabs agreed and the Mandate For Palestine was born. Israel from the Jordan river to the Mediterranean Sea belongs to the Jewish People as a right and not a sufferance. Jordan also came into being. This is legally binding to this day and no nation can take it away from the Jewish people. We have a defacto 5 state solution. Please learn more about this historic fact.

(12)
Mike Lampard,
May 9, 2010 8:11 PM

The Simon Wiesenthal Centre has got this dead right.

The only problem with all this is that politicians, the UN, and, sadly church leaders and especially Muslim leaders have no respect for the truth. They exchange the truth about Israel for a lie of their own making. This is why Israel CANNOT afford to make ANY peace moves, because NO ONE in the Arab world or the nations is EVER to be trusted. Basically they are all PATHOLOGICAL LIARS!

(11)
Eben,
May 9, 2010 8:08 PM

Psychosis

The world seems to be psychotic, out of touch with reality; bent on the madness that everything Jewish has a triple meaning when infact nothing could be further from the truth. The worst part to this madness is that some of the best minds in this world are caught up in this psychotic web. We are not the worlds scapegoats, we are real about our issues and Israel 'will never surrender', that fact coupled with a very personal pride that we have given this world more than they deserve, such as the Prophets, the scientists, outstanding Psychologist and the belief that anything is possible if you reach out for it. We will carry on regardless of the pressures that face us and we will never be caught up in the worlds projection, G-d bless Israel.

(10)
Kathleen,
May 9, 2010 4:58 PM

Lie #11

Jews and Christians worldwide don't care if Muslims, who have two holy cities in Arabia, don't care about and won't fight for the Holy Land of Jews and Christians.

(9)
Carolyn k. Dinofsky,
May 9, 2010 3:56 PM

Hit the BBC with the truths - they are the biggest of the liars!

(8)
Anonymous,
May 9, 2010 3:53 PM

Great article......good for educating others.

(7)
,
May 9, 2010 3:53 PM

Great article.....helpful to educate others. Thank you.

(6)
Barah,
May 9, 2010 3:34 PM

Will the Truth even make a difference

The hatred of Jews by people all over the world is so irrational that I cannot deal with it. Its not just what Israel does it is also America. No matter what, the Jews are always responsible. The poison of hatred is not only restricted to communist, socialist or Muslims, it has infected the whole of humanity. Anti-Semitism exists in every corner of the world, by people that have never met a Jew. Many Americans harbor this hatred and do not know one thing about Judaism or Jews. There are now new hate groups on the internet. One group ISRAEL IS NOT A COUNTRY is on facebook and has over 33,000 members. Another face book group HOW MANY PEOPLE HATE ISRAEL, has 68,000 member and the facebook group HATE ISRAEL has 122,000 members. Israel is hated because the people of this earth have turned from G-d.. G-d loves Israel but G-d's opponents hate Israel. This explanation is the only way I can rationalize the hatred. The prophet Jeremiah told us of the tribulations that Israel would suffer in its rebirth. Israel is still in the process of being born. The overwhelming presence of Jews in the current U.S administration is fueling hatred in America. A pro Muslim/ Anti Israel President is using Jews as a shield so that blame for decisions of this administration is directed at his Jewish constituents. People like Golman-Sachs, Lehman brothers for starters, Some here say this country should be the U.S of Goldman Sachs as their reign of economic terror continues. There is Rahm Emanuel, Greenspan, Benjamin Bernake, Timothy Geithner, Eric Sunstein, George Soros and the list goes on, then there is Barney Madoff. All of these people constantly in the headlines as those behind new policies affecting America and the world. The radical ideas of this group are contributing to the fuel of the fire of hatred here in America. This is not to mention all the liberal commentators that seem to be Anti America that are Jewish. Perhaps out of sight out of mind is not such a bad idea.

(5)
Anonymous,
May 9, 2010 3:30 PM

I disagree about #6. It is not a lie...

...it is our right to Judaize our own land - whether it be in north Jerusalem's Ramat Shlomo neighborhood or neighborhoods in eastern Jerusalem. Putting it another way, the Arabs wish to continue to Arabize/Muslimize our land at our expense and without a fight if possible. Shall we continue to let them? I hope not.

(4)
bob sylvester,
May 9, 2010 3:11 PM

Israelis stand firm.

If you fiddle with Israel, then you fiddle with God. Israel must not give a single inch of land away. The ally of israel is Mighty.
Jews - read your history !!!!!!!!!!

(3)
Aaron Amihud,
May 9, 2010 1:29 PM

You forgot the #1 lie

The #1 lie, American Jews don't want to move to their homeland so what is it worth? Oh wait, that one is true.
Don't "defend" Israel -- come and live in Israel and build it.

(2)
avigail,
May 9, 2010 8:19 AM

please provide footnotes

Something as important as this NEEDS to be buttressed by footnotes. Otherwise, Israel bashers can claim these arguments lack credibility.
Therefore, please provide footnotes for each major point. Thanks.

(1)
Gyula,
May 9, 2010 6:33 AM

Resistance to JCall

"STAND FOR ISRAEL, STAND FOR REASON"
The attack against Israel by the Jcall document is inspired by a short-sighted view of the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict. In fact, the signatories of this appeal do not have the clear perception of the global physical and moral threat to which Israel is currently exposed.... (To be continued)
http://www.petitiononline.com/israel48/petition.html

I was born with a neuromuscular disease known as Spinal Muscular Atrophy and have been confined to a wheelchair my entire life. Unfortunately my sister and I were raised without any religious instruction or guidance. My father wasn't Jewish and although my mother is, she openly claims to be an atheist. The "good news" is that both my sister and myself - independent of each other and at different times in our lives - realized that we are Jewish and chose to live a Jewish life.

Because of my disability, I'm not always able to attend services on Shabbat, but I always light candles, pray from a Siddur and read the weekly Torah portion. I would like to know whether, considering my situation, if using a computer is allowed during the Sabbath? I found the complete Bible online and since my computer is voice-activated I don't have to struggle to turn pages or continuously ask for assistance.

Thank you to everyone at Aish.com for making it possible for myself and so many others to learn about being Jewish and grow in the most important part of our lives.

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

Thank you so much for your encouraging words and for sharing your inspiring story.

God gives each of us a set of challenges. To those more capable of conquering difficulties, He gave bigger challenges. A challenge from God is a sign that He cares about us and has confidence in our ability to become great.

It sounds like you're doing great!

As for using the computer on Shabbat, that is prohibited. A foundation of Judaism is that we need to respect God's wishes, even if we think that doing otherwise is "for a good reason." Consider this story:

A king calls in his trusted minister and says: "I have an important mission for you to perform. Go to the neighboring kingdom and meet in the palace with their leaders. But remember one thing - under no circumstances must you remove your shirt during this meeting. Now go and do as I say."

The minister sets off on his merry way and soon arrives at the neighboring kingdom. There he heads straight for the palace where he meets with the King. In the midst of their discussion, he sees some of the king's officers pointing and laughing at him.

"Why are you laughing?" asks the visiting minister.

"Because we've never seen someone with such a pronounced hunchback as yourself," they say.

"What are you talking about? I'm not a hunchback!"

"Of course you are!"

"No I'm not!"

"We'll bet you one million dollars that you are!"

"Fine - I'll gladly take your bet."

"Okay, so take off your shirt and prove it."

At which point the minister remembers the parting words of the king... "under no circumstances must you remove your shirt during the meeting." Yet, the minister reasons, a million dollars would certainly bring added wealth to the king's coffers. I know I'm not a hunchback, so I'll surely win the bet. Of course, under these circumstances the king would approve...

The minister removes his shirt and proudly displays his perfect posture. With pride in his achievement, he holds out his hand, into which is placed a check for one million dollars.

The minister can barely contain his excitement. He quickly ends the meeting and runs back to give the wonderful news to his king. "I earned you a million dollars!" exclaims the minister. "It was easy. I only had to remove my shirt to prove that I wasn't a hunchback."

"You did what?!" shouts the king. "But I told you specifically not to remove your shirt. I trusted that you'd follow instructions, and so I bet the other king $10 million dollars that he couldn't get you to remove your shirt!"

The Torah tells us "Do not add or subtract from the mitzvahs." (Deut. 4:2) Jewish law is a precise metaphysical science. Consider a great work of art. Would you consider adding a few notes to a Bach fugue, or some brushstrokes to a Rembrandt portrait?!

Perfection, by definition, cannot be improved upon. Altering Torah law is an unacceptable implication that God is lacking.

The verse in Psalms 19:8 declares: "Torat Hashem Temimah" - the Torah of God is complete. For just as adding one wire to a transistor radio means it no longer can pick up reception, so too we mustn't tinker with Jewish law. The mitzvahs of God are perfect.

May the Almighty give you strength to continue your growth in Judaism.

In 1315, King Louis X of France called back the Jews who had been expelled a few decades earlier by King Louis IX. This marked a theme in Jewish-French life: expulsions and subsequent invitations to return. The French monarchy was trying to establish their land as the "new Jerusalem," and to fulfill this mission attempted several crusades to Israel. In 1615, King Louis XIII ordered that Christians were forbidden to speak with Jews, upon penalty of death. Eventually, in 1683, King Louis XIV expelled the Jews from the colony of Martinique.

Focus on what you do want. Make your goal explicit. “My goal is to increase my moments of joy.” This way, every single moment of joy is a successful moment.

Celebrate each moment of joy. Be grateful every time you experience joy.

Having this goal will place your attention on joy. Instead of feeling bad when you are not joyful, you will experience positive feelings about experiencing more joy.

Each moment of joy in your entire life is experienced one moment at a time. You can’t have more than one moment of joy in any given moment, but you can increase the number of joyful moments. How? By focusing on it.

There is no person on earth so righteous, who does only good and does not sin (Ecclesiastes 7:20).

Reading the suggestions for ridding oneself of character defects, someone might say, "These are all very helpful for someone who has character defects, but I do not see anything about myself that is defective."

In the above-cited verse, Solomon states what we should all know: no one is perfect. People who cannot easily find imperfections within themselves must have a perception so grossly distorted that they may not even be aware of major defects. By analogy, if a person cannot hear anything, it is not that the whole world has become absolutely silent, but that he or she has lost all sense of hearing and may thus not be able to hear even the loudest thunder.

In his monumental work, Duties of the Heart, Rabbeinu Bachaye quotes a wise man who told his disciples, "If you do not find defects within yourself, I am afraid you have the greatest defect of all: vanity." In other words, people who see everything from an "I am great/right" perspective will of course believe that they do no wrong.

When people can see no faults in themselves, it is generally because they feel so inadequate that the awareness of any personal defects would be devastating. Ironically, vanity is a defense against low self-esteem. If we accept ourselves as fallible human beings and also have a sense of self-worth, we can become even better than we are.

Today I shall...

be aware that if I do not find things within myself to correct, it may be because I am threatened by such discoveries.

With stories and insights,
Rabbi Twerski's new book Twerski on Machzor makes Rosh Hashanah prayers more meaningful. Click here to order...